, 1887-08-25

to come quick, while Sprite only whisked
his little docked tail, cooked his ears, and
actually wriggled with enjoyment of my
dilemma.
At my call Leslie turned her horse
round to come to come to my assistance,
but Roushan Bey, alarmed at the curious
spectacle, refused to come near me, rear
ing angrily at each attempt Leslie made
10 force him up.
AT this moment l saw a horseman
coming rapidly toward us, evidently in
tending to jump. At my shrek he
checked his horse, just glanced at Leslie,
but seeing that she needed no assistance,
he dismounted, threw the reins on the
neck of his horse and came toward me.
/ called to him to run, please but he
was too good a horseman for that. Ad-
vancing quickly, he made a slight detour,
swinging himself lightly over the wall
and coming quietly up to me, slipped one
arm through the pony's bride and pass
ing the other round my waist, lifted me
from the saddle and placed me gently on
the ground.
The next moment Master Sprite found
himself on his four feet with a mar firm
1y seated on his back. Not liking the
change, the pony made a sudden attempt
" MIN lllS y" lIutI jill lldI ldlllIlB,
tried to get rid of him by turning short
round and plunging sideways, a plan
which proved equally unsuccessful. Sprite
was a pony of much sagacity, and al
ways, if he could, avoided any personal
discomfort. he therefore appeared to
submit, and even jumped the wall at. the
signal, though the vicious kicks he gave
on landing were calculated to unseat any
/ nna r1n1acu lilo n rantor,- he bod Haan
i~ndissolubly joined to his horse. l think
Sprite deeply regretted that piece of
treachery. The lesson he received it did
me good to see, and when at length he
was allowed a pause to recover breath
and spirits, a meeker, sadder, more in
jured looking pony it would have been
hard to find.
I had long since recognized my cham
pion as Mr.. Walter Devereux, a classmate
of my elder brother Clarence, though 1
had not seen him since class day, when
he beguiled me out of five dances. l
thanked him warmly, and Leslie quietly,
for his assistance, though 1 was still
thoroughly scared at the ride home that
lay before me.
As Mr.. Devereux talked he kept Sprite
moving up and down, and seemed to be
adjusting the saddle. Suddenly he lifted
it off the pony, and before l realized
what was going on he had his own saddle
on Sprite and was buckling mine on his
horse.
"What are you going to dor" I asked,
hastily.
"With your permission, Miss Arbuth-
not, I am going to put you on my mare
and ride your pony back myself" was
the answer. "Pet Marjorie is n per-
fectly trained and steady animal, and
just now you are not in a condition to
contend with hat willful little pony of
yours"
Leslie looked very much as if she
would have liked to object, but did not
well know how to do so. Nothing could
be urged against Mr.. Devereux except
her general aversion to men, and she
was, besides, l think, a good deal morti-
fed at having failed to get Roushan Bey
up in time.
Mr.. Devereux was therefore permitted
to join us on our homeward ride. Sprite
was a marvel of propriety, though an oc-
oasional shy or swerve made me glad l
was not on his back.
Somehow after that it came about that
Mr.. Devereux often accompanied us on
rides. / was more timid than ever,
and Mr.. Devereux undertook to give
Sprite some much needed lessons in sub
mission to his lot, begging me meantime
to keep Pet Marjorie exercised, as he
wanted his sister to ride her later on.
Once or twice Clarence went with us,
but he and Leslie never got on well to-
gether. Les did not like chaff, and had
no small talk; indeed, I am afraid she
was often bored by the incessant banter
that Mr.. Devereux and l kept up; but
then she could always abstract herself,
and find sufficient company in Roushan
Bey.
1t was not long before 1 knew that
Walter Devereux was over head and ears
in love with me, while well, l did not
want to define to myself what I thought
about him. For the first time in my life
l was c%uriously, strangely shy with n
man. / did not want him to go away
still less did l want to be forced to any
decision, for life was so bright and happy
just then | dreaded any change. Though
we met often elsewhere, the rides were
best Of all-trees, birds, and squirrels tell
no tales.
One morning, after n brisk canter up
the west side of the reservoir, we pulled
up at the north end, and turned out on
the East drive, meeting face to face a
horseman who was trotting leisurely
down the drive. "Walterl'' ''Marionl''
broke from the stranger and Mr.. Devereux
simultaneously, as the two men clasped
hands. Then, turning to us, Walter
DevereuN asked permission to introduce
his brother Marion.
Leslie, l could see, was utterly discon-
certed, and instantly relapsed into one of
her most desperate fits Of dumb shyness-
an intirmity which had been gradually
disappearing under the influence of Walter
Devereu1's sunny, cordial manners and
bright boyish ways. Nevertheless she did
her best, and after a few words had
passed we all continued up the East
drive, Leslie leading with Walter. This
arrangement did not altogether please
me. Though Marion Devcreux made
himself very agreeable, his big gray
horse, NindeN, was too frisky to suit me
as a neighbor. As we were turning
around the north end of the park, Pet
Marjorie did something or other that
caused me to give q slight scream and
drop my whip. This brought Walter
back at once, and caused Nindex to dance
and prance in n way that at once excited
Leslic's admiration, while the abomin-
able CaIVrS that ROushan Bpy immedintp-